Haley Rutherford, Marriage Celebrant
Guess what - I've got great news for you - your ceremony no longer has to be something you dread, nor does it have to be a boring, snoozefest start to your epic day! Let's kick of your wedding in the best way possible - that leaves you and your guests buzzing and on a high ready to celebrate the night away! To me, it's all about CELEBRATING you both, your journey, and all things you have to look forward to. I love taking old traditions and refreshing them to reflect you as a couple, not just ticking ceremony boxes. My ceremonies are like a group of good friends getting together, sharing stories and having a good time. Laughter, happy tears, good vibes. No boring cliche stuff here. I welcome your guests to relax and enjoy, and feel a part of it all. That helps you as a couple to relax and enjoy too! Plus, I'll help you ENJOY the planning process, by taking any hard work out of it, and making it as straight forward as possible. To do this we help you every step of the way, from paperwork, ideas and thoughts for your ceremony, song suggestions and guidance, and all the enthusiasm and encouragement you need.
Booking, requirements & deposit
A wedding ceremony is actually a pretty personal event so it's important to see if I'm the right celebrant for you. Please take the time to read over our testimonials, and check out our socials like Instagram and Facebook (where you'll find more reviews too!). You're welcome to give me a call for a friendly chat and a chance to connect. If you think I’m/we are the right fit for you and you're keen to go ahead, I will send you our Client Kit, which I have prepared for my couples to help guide them on where to from here; including what’s required with the legal paperwork, next steps and meetings, things to start thinking about for your ceremony and music requirements. We require a non-refundable booking fee of $500 to be paid at your earliest convenience to lock in your date and requirements with us. We would then keep in touch and look at making plans to meet up about 3-6 months before your wedding to plan out your day.
Initial meeting and ceremony planning
Approximately 3-6 months before your big day, we will get together and spend some time getting to know one another, talk love stories, discuss music requirements, and of course, build your ceremony together. To do this, I will ask lots of questions, as well as guide you and make suggestions based on experience to create something truly meaningful… together. We would also look at any other inclusions such as MC or extra music playtime and also begin the legal paperwork if we haven't done this yet. The legal requirement is that we complete and sign the Notice of Intended Marriage ONE month before your proposed marriage date (which we will leave plenty of time for).
Draft ceremony and questionnaire
After our initial meeting and ceremony planning, I will take some time to put together your ceremony draft and timeline based on what we discussed, and send this to you for review. This will help you visualise your ceremony playing out, and help you to decide if we are on the right track, and that I've got the details, timings and names correct. I will also send you both a questionnaire to fill out about your fiancé and this will help give me more insight into your relationship and love for one another, and assist me in the writing process. It's not very long, and actually, a lot of fun to do!
Rehearsals
Depending on the type of wedding you're having, location, the complexity of the ceremony, or just because you really want peace of mind by running through it, rehearsals may or may not be necessary. There are advantages and disadvantages to both options, so let's chat about this once we have a better idea of what's in store for you on your special day.
On the day
I'll be there at your venue nice and early. I have my own wireless PA system to set-up and once that's done you can usually find me chatting to your coordinator, photographer and venue staff. I like to make sure everything is ready to go so I can welcome your guests and also help keep your partner, cool calm and collected. I will help guide, direct and inform your guests in the lead up to the ceremony commencing - then for the best part - we get you married with all the vibes and feels!
After the ceremony
I will lodge all your paperwork within the week of your marriage to Births Deaths and Marriages to the state you were married. From there you can go ahead and apply for your Standard Marriage Certificate, which can be done easily via a link I will send you after your wedding. I'll follow up with you once you're back from your honeymoon or had time to relax, it's a great chance for us to all reminisce, share stories and chat about how wonderful your day was.
Follow up
I will, of course, send you a follow up once you're home from your honeymoon, so we can reminisce, laugh, and share stories from the day. Any feedback or a testimonial is always so appreciated. Sounding pretty good? Please shout out, and let's create some beautiful ceremony memories.
